1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to prepaid digital audio recorders. More specifically, the present invention relates to replaceable media digital radio prepaid smartcard enabled recorders.
While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.
2. Description of the Related Art
Satellite radio operators will soon provide digital quality radio broadcast services covering the entire continental United States. These services intend to offer approximately 100 channels, of which nearly 50 channels will provide music with the remaining stations offering news, sports, talk and data channels. According to C. E. Unterberg, Towbin, satellite radio has the capability to revolutionize the radio industry, in the same manner that cable and satellite television revolutionized the television industry.
Satellite radio has the ability to improve terrestrial radio""s potential by offering a better, digital, audio quality, greater coverage and fewer commercials. Accordingly, in October of 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted two national satellite radio broadcast licenses. The FCC allocated 25 megahertz (MHz) of the electromagnetic spectrum for satellite digital broadcasting, 12.5 MHz of which are owned by CD Radio and 12.5 MHz of which are owned by the assignee of the present application xe2x80x9cXM Satellite Radio Inc.xe2x80x9d. The system plan for each licensee presently includes transmission of substantially the same program content from two or more geosynchronous satellites to both mobile and fixed receivers on the ground. In urban canyons and other high population density areas with limited line-of-sight (LOS) satellite coverage, terrestrial repeaters will simultaneously broadcast the same program content in order to improve coverage reliability.
In accordance with the XM frequency plan, each of two geosynchronous Hughes 702 satellites will transmit identical or at least similar program content. The signals will be transmitted with QPSK digital modulation. The assigned 12.5 MHz bandwidth is called the xe2x80x9cXMxe2x80x9d band. The modulation scheme allows up to 4096 Mbits/s of total user data to be distributed across the available bandwidth.
The new XM band broadcast system will deliver a large volume of digital quality audio, including music to end users. Since digital quality recording devices are now commercially available, such a radio service creates the opportunity to deliver digital quality recording capability direct to end users without the need for mass distribution of pre-recorded media. However, the convenient ability to do so creates a problem of potential piracy of copyrighted materials at full digital fidelity levels and a general dilution of the commercial record distribution market. Producers of audio content would suffer a loss of revenues.
Thus there is a need in the art for a device to deliver digital quality recording capability to end users while at the same time retaining control of such distribution so that copyright owners are fairly compensated for the distribution of their works.
The need in the art is addressed by the apparatus and methods of the present invention. The inventive apparatus operates with a satellite digital radio broadcast system in which digital radio signals are received by a satellite digital audio service receiver which includes a digital radio receiver, a playback circuit, and an output circuit arranged such that the digital radio receiver converts the received digital radio signals to encoded digital signals and feeds them to the playback circuit which converts the encoded digital signals to audio signals for playing through the output circuit.
The inventive apparatus includes a digital converter which receives the encoded digital signals from the digital radio receiver and converts them to decoded digital signals. The digital converter has an enabling input which enables it to convert the encoded digital signals to decoded digital signals which are a suitable form for recording onto digital recording media. The inventive apparatus also includes a smartcard module which receives a smartcard that has a prepaid account balance stored on it. The smartcard module has an enabling output coupled to the enabling input of the digital converter. Therefore, if the account balance on the smartcard is sufficient, the smartcard module enables the digital converter to convert the encoded digital signals to decoded digital signals. A digital recorder receives the decoded digital signals and records them onto a digital medium.
In addition, a digital buffer may be provided for storing a quantity of the encoded digital signals and subsequently delivering same to the digital converter. This buffering ability allows the storage of the digital signal thereby creating a time delay between the real time delivery of audio program selections and the later availability of the signals for recording. This delay allows the user to determine the content of the real time selection by listening to the real time broadcast and subsequently make a decision to record same. Provided that the beginning of a given audio selection is present in the buffer at the time the users elects to record the selection, the entire selection can be recorded, even though the real time beginning of the selection has already passed in time.